Am I the only person in the world not moved by or concerned with the death of Michael Jackson? Like all bereavements my heart goes out to his family and close friends.

But — a “genius”? “The greatest entertainer of all time”?

Why am I writing this article at all?

I believe it is important, especially for the young, to understand the true meaning of greatness and to appreciate the real essence of “genius.” This may sound like a sacrilege but, as I write, millions of youngsters are breakdancing to Jackson tunes and evidently thinking this is the be-all and end-all of life’s expectations. If I had a young child now I would want him or her to read books, go to orchestra concerts, and be exposed to selective media under my — and my partner’s — supervision. Whether or not the stars I am about to venerate grew up in such a rarefied atmosphere is debatable, but after hearing Al Sharpton’s pronouncements I would like to reflect on what true greatness entails.

The Rev. Sharpton said this week that Michael Jackson broke down a barrier: he made it acceptable for black entertainers to rise to the top in a white world. What is Al Sharpton talking about? In my parents’ generation (they were born during World War I) the most beloved acts were black: the Inkspots, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Paul Robeson. Yes, entertainers of color encountered fierce prejudice and the monstrous “whites only” policies of the Deep South, but they were also loved by millions of white fans around the United States and the world. For heaven’s sake, Al, African-American actress Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar for Gone with the Wind in 1939.

In my generation black entertainers dominated the music, film, and theater world. Ray Charles, the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder are world-class. Several commentators have been attributing to Michael Jackson the honor of being “the greatest entertainer of the century.” With the greatest of respect to his memory, he was not. Period.

Great entertainers were versatile people of talent who were consummate performers; their accessible music, films, and theatrical performances inspired audiences to joy in times of hardship and encouraged young people to study dance, opera, theater, and music. Great entertainers?

My list is topped by Judy Garland. Aside from being an electrifying singer, her performance as a Holocaust survivor in Judgment at Nuremberg is indelibly etched on my memory bank. From her performance as Dorothy in the legendary The Wizard of Oz, with its lyrics by the brilliant Yip Harburg, to her stunning appearances at the Palladium, Garland was a great entertainer. Like Jackson, her personal life was marred by drugs and emotional traumas. The similarity ends there. The vast legacy of her glorious music and acting talent will endure for generations.

Suggesting that Jackson was the greatest entertainer of the century ignores the achievements of Barbra Streisand, who at the height of her career excelled as a singer, actress, composer, and film director. I judge a great entertainer according to the imagery their work has generated. One of the most moving stories of the past century is Yentl, based on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s tale of a young woman who breaks out of the strictures of Orthodox Judaism. It is a story that should inspire young women today, most particularly those in Muslim countries, and is relevant to the current debate on the burqa in France. Did Michael Jackson ever create a film as memorable as Yentl, in which Streisand also starred and which she also directed? She is a genius and ranks with Leonard Bernstein in awesome talent and impact on the young. Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts generated a host of children from deprived backgrounds whose lives were enriched by their love for classical music and who — at a time when classical music has suffered a decline in popularity — pursued careers in opera, ballet, concert performance, and musicology.

I go back to my original complaint: it is wrong and divisive for young blacks to be told by Al Sharpton that their race was shunned by white people until Michael Jackson arrived on the scene. In my childhood one of the greatest opera singers of that era was Leontyne Price; other outstanding black opera stars included Grace Bumbry — possibly the most electrifying “Carmen” of all time — Jessye Norman, and Kathleen Battle. Marian Anderson was a legend before I was born.

It troubles me that there is a mass international hysteria about Michael Jackson. He did indeed give extraordinary support to charities but his denial of his black identity, his bizarre personal life, and his attitude towards children — revealed in the Martin Bashir interview — do not, in my estimation, constitute a role model. Like Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley, he was worn out by his thirtieth year and pushed into drug-taking and unnatural work patterns by money-mad managers. Sadly it is a manifestation of manic celebrity culture that small children are being brought to Jackson shrines worldwide as their young parents weep over a deeply flawed man who, in the end, gave far less to his people than real icons: Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Marian Anderson.

Michael, rest in peace and may you find solace in the company of true African-Americans in the realm of the beyond.

Carol Gould is the Philadelphia-born author of Don’t Tread on Me: Anti-Americanism Abroad, Spitfire Girls, and A Room at Camp Pickett, a play about her mother’s experiences as a WAC in World War II; she has just completed a film about black GI babies. Carol has been a panelist on BBC's Any Questions?, hosted by Jonathan Dimbleby, on Jenni Murray's Woman's Hour, and on Andrew Gilligan's Forum, as well as being a commentator on Sky News, Press TV, and BBC Five Live.

130 Comments, 125 Threads

Ms. Gould, I appreciate your attempt at levity, but, you have to realise [brit spelling] that there is a lot of melted cheese STUPID in the world.

When Madonna [not Jesus' mama, the 'kunting whore madonna'] ‘taught’ or ‘helped’ M.J. come out of the closet, he couldn’t stop touching his crotch enough. For M.J’s fans, it had to be a shock to see their ‘idol’ suddenly grasping his own crotch and wearing women’s Victoria Secret type clothing on the ‘outside’ of his outfits.

I really think you have written this article in an attempt to enhance your own ego and blogging profile. As for groundbreaking, look at his record sales, look at the money he generated over his career, look at his concerts, Look at his music videos and dance moves, which all changed the way artists delivered music to the masses. To say he was not a groundbreaking genius shows a real lack of sense.

Then I move on to the racial issue which you raised, whilst the stars you mentioned were indeed a success in their own right, they were very much considered ‘black’ artists whilst with Michael he transcended race.

” God rest Michael Jackson’s soul but to me it is a sacrilege to rank his limited range alongside the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, and Gene Kelly. These men could act, dance, and sing; ” – UTTER Garbage and you know it, so now you are going to tell me he cant sing or dance!

There is a reason why you are in such a minority with your views, take a look at yourself. Whilst not everyone may like his music you can never dispute Michael Jacksons music or place in history as tone of the greatest musical enrtertainers of all time… no THE Greatest.

What I find very amusing is that these Black Supremacists Sharpton, Jesse Jackson et al are all orgasmically grieving for a black person who totally rejected his black race by turning himself in to a middle aged ugly white woman complete with a straight hair wig and who commissioned and PURCHASED three WHITE children. I refuse to believe without DNA evidence being produced that any of these children were biologically Jacksons they bear no resemblance to him and his black genetics whatsoever not one solitary part of their appearance. This also raises the question of who should get custody Jacksons disfunctional money obsessed family to who they are only related by PURCHASE or their biological parents who thought it OK to sell their children to a paedophile. Another point the description of SLAVE fits these poor children to a ‘T’ they were commodities BOUGHT by Jackson as playthings and the fact that he said he loved them is irrelevant people especially perverts always love their expensive POSSESSIONS.

Michael Jackson is, and always will be a musical icon and inspiration, to both the black community and beyond. Whilst you are entitled to your opinion I do not believe that you have any idea about the suffering and injustices faced by black performers and musicians which came prior to MJ. Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong… these people were indeed at the top of their game, but what you fail is mention is that this was because they were exceptional and their talents could not be denied.

Black performers WERE shunned before Michael Jackson – MTV, for example, barely acknowledged music by black artists until he came along. You have taken it upon yourself to name a few black legends yet have failed to research or outline any of the struggles which they faced in order to achieve excellence – and, more importantly, the substantial impact of MJ in facilitating the breakthrough and growth of contemporary black musicians. R’n'B, Hip-Hop, pop music… all of these genres have been influenced by MJ’s music; Ne’Yo, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Lloyd, Ciara, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston… perhaps you would like to explain how these artists would have been allowed the success that they enjoy(ed) had MJ never prospered as a solo artist of such magnitude?

If you do not like MJ then that is fine – there are many who don’t. If you are not a fan of his lifestyle then the same applies. However, the agreement on MJ as a pioneer on modern urban music is both unanimous unquestionable. For a so-called “acclaimed” author I find your ignorance over this issue somewhat irritating.

Anonymous, you are obviously the victim of a modern college education. Starting from the specious anti-intellectual “you are entitled to your opinion” and continuing with victimology idol pedestal building “the suffering and injustices”.

You are a myopic child of the times with little real perspective, and caught up in a “now”. In ten years you will hardly ever remember Jackson.

Michael Jackson was just man taking female hormones to make his voice high so he could sing bubble gum. Nobody could accuse him of being a “serious” artist; what kept him in the spotlight was his bizarre personality.

As for the assertion that he somehow broke a barrier-poppycock (a nicer way of saying bulls**t); Jackson was about the last clean black performer, with rap music on the rise when he was in his ascendency. Black artists rejected what Jackson was doing in favor of a more “ethnic” musical culture-one that has had horribly destructive consequences, I might add. I suppose one could call Jackson a missed opportunity, because he squandered the chance to bridge cultures.

Your list is topped by Judy Garland. Alright. While I agree that the celebration and attention paid to a dead child molestor is disgusting and unseemly, Michael Jackson from the moment we saw him as a child until he became too weird to watch and his actions too bizarre to stomach, was an immense talent. Not exactly my cuppa either but the fact that you choose Garland, another huge talent (and another self destructive one), is just your taste. Not “the truth”. Personally, I don’t think either could touch Rudy Vallee.
Joke.

You were doing fine until you started praising Barbra Streisand to the skies. She’s mediocre at best and makes me want to poke something sharp in my ears just to make the noise stop when I hear her. And it’s pathetic that those who venerate the creepy, over-rated Jackson think that their tin ears and race baiting trump all.

michael jackson was a great singer, dancer, and songwriter. i too cringe at the claims about race from the race-mongers, and of course he was an absolutely degenerate freakshow later in life, but i thought his musical legacy is secure. it’s been disappointing to me that there has been so much coverage of his pedophilia and other disorders but a complete absence of coverage of what brought him to our attention and made him famous in the first place. he really was great, and much better than anything today. i’d think that part of mj would be easy to praise and separate from his other life. why does everything have to be an abductio ad absurdum in order to reach and report on the salacious? come on.

Update the Plastic ones second wife has admitted the first two kids were hers and a ANONYMOUS sperm donor so it is a fair bet that as he never even felt the need to marry its mother he just BOUGHT him too. So these children are just products he commissioned and BOUGHT with no biological connection to him whatsoever. Why well because he could because if you are rich in the USA you can do and BUY whatever you want. In the old days when you were BOUGHT you were called a SLAVE and that is just what these poor kids were SLAVE playthings for a perverted paedophile. As they share no DNA with the singers family they should have no claim on them at all.
The real scandal are the MORONS who are crying tears for his CHILDREN when they should be screaming for prosecution of his estate for slavery.

Oh come on. I’m not a fan of his as much as I was back in the 80s, but he did bust a few sales records. So it’s no surprise that he’s got a few fans mourning his death. Get over it. It’s one thing to not be all wrapped up in his death, but it makes one look petty and uninformed to imply that no one else should be either.

Anonymous is right. Your opinion is completely biased and one sided. For being such an intelligent and well educated person you failed to mention the fact that his influence spanned over three generations and that a lot of his music was politically charged, addressing world hunger, war, and deforestation- those of which he was brave enough to release. Also, all of those other African American performers you mentioned were playing music that was expected of them, while Michael crossed over into different genres like Elvis. Michael’s career was much longer than these other performers also- remember, he’s been working since he was 10 years old- what could be a better example of longevity and a sustainable fan base than that? Give credit where credit is due and stop hating, as the young populous would say. I should know who I find to be a great example of artistic expression for young people, being that I am younger and I can tell you that I can’t remember the last time I heard ANY of my fellow college students speaking of Bach with such high regard. I can’t even remember the last time I heard of Streisand contributing to a charity or selling as many albums or winning as many awards as Michael, she sure as hell can’t dance like him, and neither can anyone else that’s why all the artist’s that have came after him have been trying to immolate his moves. Neyo, Usher, Justin Timberlake, among countless and nameless others in their living rooms! No one has ever sold as many albums, done as many shows, and had more neither popular nor expensive music videos. Bottom line- the facts still stand regardless of how he lived his life, which I might add, is none of your business. Michael will transcend time and be remembered in a good or bad (unfortunately)by many as did the greats before him. I bet 80 years ago people, white or black were talking the same mess about Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, and especially Sammy Davis Jr. the infamous black Jew. All in all, the greats had their time for appreciation, which sadly most often is after they are dead and gone, so let Michael have his. He’s already suffered enough ridicule while alive and you guys have the audacity to speak badly of a old dead person- you probably will have the same coming to you. in the words of Michael “I’m looking at the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways” and “Leave me alone” (one of my many favorite videos as a child and currently). Rest in Peace the king of POP not people’s choice or opera, we’re talking about POP here, golly!

Clearly you are upset by the fact that I have been to school (you are indeed correct about the college education, gold star and cookies for you) and appear to be more concerned by my use of language rather than what I was actually writing about – hence why I cannot find any trace of a counter-argument in your point.

So, let it me put it simply: MJ will go down as musical legend who also took the live performance to a new level… the fact that many of his songs are still played, sampled and covered today – many of which were made over 10 or even 20 years ago – is a demonstration of the timeless nature of his music.

So, in light of this I believe that it is you who has little perspective about the longevity of his music.

You obviously lack taste and intelligence. You accuse Jackson of being a mediocrity, which is what he was, but then you substitute your own mediocrities as being great artists. Stevie Wonder? Inkspots? Martha and the Vandellas?

Yes, some African Americans were first-rate artists–certainly Ella Fitzgerald was. But few African Americans were great creative artists. Look at your list; most are mere performers. And, by the way, Louis Armstrong is terribly overrated, like Duke Ellington.

Why do you guys hate so much? He bought these children? I don’t see anyone ragging on Madonna or Angelina. He did what made him happy, unlike most citizens of america. Women go to sperm banks all the time. People do get artificially inciminated- this is nothing new folks! Even some months ago that guy who was technically a woman gave birth, why are you judging other peoples lives? Ms.Gould was just questioning if he was a great entertainer. Also, why are you bringing slavery into this- that’s pretty immature, they are children! Slaves were taken and raped as adults- no comparison. and if you wanna bring “ethnic” music if that’s what you choose to call it into this Noah count, you should probably have so examples of these so called shunning peers of Micheal’s because the last time I was watching his videos, there were alot of celebreties in them. bvw: you are truely a psuedo intellectualist that doesn’t appreciate anyone’s opinion no matter what they say, how is anonymous victimizing or placing anyone on a pedastal?

For me the issue of whether he is actually the father of his alleged children is wrapped up with the other charges. The feeling is that his marriages, the “fatherhood” was all meant to cover a creepy guy who may have been preying on children. and i will add that none of them ever dangled a child off a balcony.

that being said, yes, i find madonna and angelina’s behavior to be creepy in that regard, too. and let’s not forget the other weirdness with angelina, like having billy bob thorton’s blood in a vail, and kissing her brother a little too passionately. yike!

All that being said, I still maintain a big question mark regarding the charges. he was acquitted in one case, but bought out another. But given how litigious our society is, maybe in truth he was innocent of all of it, and the lawyer just saw dollar signs. So I won’t convict him, but i won’t acquit him either.

My view of his funeral would be to use that old roman saying: we come to bury Mr. Jackson, not praise him.

That all being said, I am probably going to try to get a few of his old CDs. i wasn’t buying albums back when he was actually good so i don’t have any of his music in my extensive collection. and now i can buy his stuff without worrying too much about what i am funding with my money.

Jackson was a victim of child abuse, and became an abuser (most probably; if I had been accused I would have submitted at a poly instead of paying out 20 mil).

Jackson had an OK voice (Man in the Mirror) and certainly was an amazing dancer. Fred Astaire commented positively on Jackson’s dancing. And he had the smarts to put it all together by working with the right people.

But purely from a talent standpoint, Jackson was not in the same league with Mick Jagger, never mind Lennon and McCartney.

No, Carol, you aren’t alone in not being moved or concerned by MJ’s death. He never meant much of anything to me. I admit this is a matter of taste and inclination, but that’s all that the tributes amount to, too.

As for the claim made by anonymous above, that his songs are still being played even though they were made 10 or 20 years ago, is this some kind of joke? The test of time is something that is counted in centuries, not 10 or 20 years. Homer has been appreciated for the last 2,700 years. Will MJ still be appreciated after that length of time? I doubt it.

That streisand point is right on target. i thought this article was weakest when tried to say streisand is more important. But this is all very idiosyncratic. i mean let’s face it, streisand appealed to women more than men, so maybe i “just don’t get it.”

I won’t be as harsh on his music as others were. There are some songs i thought were really good, like “smoooth criminal.” i loved that rock remake a couple years ago (and let’s face it, the video is hilarious). And while the content of Billie Jean is pretty ironic now (denying vehemently he slept with an adult woman), i always loved the way that the music created a nice and mysterious mood.

But then if i was going to be trapped on an island with only one artist’s songs, it wouldn’t be michael’s. It would probably be CCR.

Madonna, MJ, Angelina, whatever. They are ALL narcissistic garbage. Records sales? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, people are sheep. Their taste is in their a**es. I do think MJ wrote some decent tunes, but to put him up there with the likes of John Lennon and others is blasphemy. I can name “true artists” instead of entertainers that have more songwriting talent than this buffoon. I can’t stand when something is jammed down people’s throats.

OK, agreed no one should be buying children much less likely pedophiles.

At least the kids have got some great book material should any of them wind up sane or sober enough to create one.

MJ’s greatest performance art comes down to the show he’s put on for the world in the last 20 years. No proud person of color celebrates their identity by whitening skin and self mutilating by undergoing multiple plastic surgeries to create a cleft chin, or a small upturned nose – or anorexia. Even with vitiligo he chose to whiten the dark skin rather than darken the white skin.

Yes, as a little boy, even as a young man he was a memorable performer on stage. However his accomplishments in pop music aren’t on a par with Buddy Holly, Elvis, Rudy Vallee, The Beatles Leontyne Price, or Little Ritchie to name a few. I’d say his greatest achievement may be as a bad example:how NOT to spend money, have or raise children, why NOT to have plastic surgery, not to get hooked on drugs, why fame and fortune can be a bad idea. Many talented performers have chosen to make wonderful contributions. Bill Cosby, John Wayne, Ronald Reagen come to mind. Let’s honor them instead.

MJ = freak-o-pervert-o-zoid. Greatest of all time? Not even close. Music was the only genre into which he delved. No movies, no USO tours (Imagine that – MJ entertaining the troops), no crossover music, little or no songwriting; just singing & crotch-grabbing fancy-dancy freaky pop. That’s it. MJ is proof Mencken was correct in saying no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.

Young Black woman you are either very naive or very uneducated or most probably seeing how you write both. You don’t have to be an adult or to be raped or black to be a slave you just have to be BOUGHT which is exactly what Plastic Michael did with all his children non of which has ANY of his DNA in them. They are just POSSESSIONS of a rich paedophile bought and paid for and people who defend his actions in doing that are as evil and perverted as he was.

I agree witgh the odidunal thread of this conversation. This is typical of out society where poeple are having sexual times with kids and no one wants to believe it. This all makes for the bad feelings that poeple grow up with having experienced some sexual activity with an elder. Its either exceptable or it isn’t. I have heard poeple say it was all a conspiracy and they were setting him up but it is obviouse to EVERYONE really that it is the other way round. He got away with it because he has loads of money. Paid kids off and made it so that if anyone else made a complaint against him they themselves would have to pay compensation to HIM. What a world we live in. Im sure that in truth 85% of poeple must realise he really did these things. I, by the way, accept that is he had told the truth and pleaded guilty, the kids would have more grief, including the ones that had said nothing. And that must be a orcward situation to be in. He was a good musician and no-one can deny that. But he was only a good man if its actually ok to have sexual relationship with kids. I have also heard poeple talk of forgiveness and that would be better that stupid ignorance. Sorry about my spelling and I apoligise to any blind poeple who think michael jackson never touched any boys but it is so clear that he did. I really dont think there is a debate worth having. Poeple say the boys did it for money but if that were so surley they would say he forced them or at least that they didn’t want to do it. Are we stupid?

So what if MJ could sing and dance. Instead of wasting energy worshipping this weird, plastic surgery-loving guy, why not direct your adoration at people who have REALLY done something for human kind. People like scientists and inventors and engineers. These kinds of INTELLIGENT people have provided human beings with far more than someone like MJ ever could during his 15 minutes of fame.

Ms. Gould, I’m going to take a wild guess that you are about my parents age, which means you can’t really understand the phenomenon that was Jackson when the album Thriller came out. For those of us who were on the verge of adolescence, it was just about the greatest thing ever. His videos put MTV on the map, which influenced a generation, good or bad. No one had ever seen a video like Thriller before. I think that we forget how he contributed to integrating video and music into a media force. He invented the moonwalk. He became a fashion icon. Do you have any idea how dressing like MJ could raise you coolness status in school? He wasn’t a black singer. He wasn’t defined by that. So, I have to take issue with you. Sure he turned creepy later, but I’m a child of the 80′s, so I’ll always remember him at his peak. Just because you’re too old to “get” why MJ was so important to so many people, doesn’t give you a right to try to diminish his influence. He was my generation’s Elvis. Deal with it.

Well written Ms Gould. I too have been thoroughly brassed off with people suggesting ridiculous things like MJ was responsible for taking black music into the mainstream. You list many of the host of back artists who preceded Jacko and were very mainstream. I would like to add one name, Sam Cooke. The other off-pising thing about the Jackson legen is the brainless claim he “invented” the moonwalk. I first remember seeing that trick performed by Italian street entertainers in 1958, shortly before Jack was born. So unless those people learned from an eight month foetus we must assume the “moonwalk” was around for quite a long time. Probably hundreds of years in fact, as lon as there have been mime artists.
If Michael Jackson’s career marked anything it was the poit at which genuine talent became less important than media hype for success as an entertainer.
Last Saturday those of us who could not be at the Glastonbury Festival were treated by BBC TV to Bruce Springsteen’s two and a half hour set live. By comparison to “The Boss” Jacko was a children’s entertainer, nothing more. Infantile songs, novelty dance numbers and clown makeup…oops sorry, that was his actuasl face wasn’t it?

This is a comical article written by a total clown. Jackson reigns with the best selling record of all time, his music going back 40 years is as popular today as the day it broke, and numerous artists have been giving recent testimonials to the influence that jackson had on their own careers. Liza? her greatest influence was on the gay community and female impersonators…

I never have understood the appeal of MJ, and though anytime someone dies relatively young, it is of course sad and tragic for their friends and family, the hysteria that has swept over the world is incomprehensible to me. Why is this so much more important than the deaths of so many young people who are standing up for their rights in Iran??

And, Anonymous – you can’t allow that there are many that don’t care for his music and lifestyle while averring that “the agreement on MJ as a pioneer on modern urban music is both unanimous unquestionable.” [sic]
I guess you skipped class on the day that they taught logic at your college.

I subscribe to what KCL wrote (except of the part regarding dressing to school; sorry, not applied to me
you have to take into account what MJ sang about and how it reflected into the fans, the following artists(black or white)and, nonetheless, how he could perform. Not 2-3 shows / year, but so many and each of them very concentranted. Look what is on MTV or other music channels right now…

Each generation has some icon, each person has his/her own idol, favourite artist. I am too an 80s child and I was a fan, but not an histerical one. I grew up with MJ’s songs and believed that we can have a “better place”. Look right now around you and see how nowadays kids are growing: hatred, with strong belief in guns, killing their colleagues, stealling, beatting others…. and unfortunately I can go on…
It is not like MJ was a saint, he definettle wasn’t. He was a HUMAN. and more to that he was a public figure that was constantly watched and spyed as good money you could have if you could come out with a hot tip about MJ.
But it is HIS MUSIC THAT SPEAKS, not the personal really questionnable life. And it is THIS legacy that will live forever. By his fans of all ages, religions, colours.

p.s. how can you explain that on Friday after his death, when all radios were playing his songs, friends of mine and me, who didn’t listen for at least 10 years the songs, WERE INSTANTLY REMEMBERING AND SINGING ALL THE WORDS?

Every member of the Congressional Black Caucus should begin full press efforts to have a street in their respective major cities renamed to honor Michael!! There will be major opportunities for graft, kickbacks, promotional fees and payoffs in doing so. White pols who oppose the tributes will be demonized as racist.

MJ put out some good music, Thriller was his crowning achievement as a pop artist, after that it was all down hill at an ever increasing rate. The video for the title song was “ground breaking” for its time and is a classic I still enjoy when I happen to see it.

He doesn’t merit the acclaim some are lavishing on him however, his muse left him after Bad and he just became stranger and stranger. Add to him probably being a pedophile that sort of tarnishes his accomplishments no matter how good they were. I say “probably” because I don’t recall him ever being criminally convicted of it, just a lot of civil cases that he either settled or was found not guilty. The people who accused him were a bit sketchy too…I mean after the first case I wouldn’t have let my kid anywhere near him unless I was present.

For all those who are here supporting Jackson as some kind of entertainer god, just step back an imagine what you would be saying about him if he had come out and declared he was a Republican? It would get ugly.

Michael Jackson’s race was hardly an issue by the time he grew to stardom as part of the Jackson 5 & became a monster hit pop star as a result of Thriller between 1982-1985. MTV refused to show Michael Jackson videos until Thriller; in this sense, he broke the barrier & MTV started playing other black artists such as Tina Turner, Diana Ross, & Donna Summer. Jackson turned himself into an oddity over the years as his skin became more pale, a ghostly white & his intense obvious make-up for his face made him appear like a clown. Jackson was a talented singer & dancer, but nothing could match the success of Thriller. Nothing. It was only downhill from Thriller. I believe Jackson was indeed a pedophile due to his obsession for children. I was even more horrified when he suddenly got children of his own to “raise.” I cannot buy any Michael Jackson album due to the 1993 pedophile charges. If Jackson was innocent, why did he pay off the boy & his parents? His tunes from Off The Wall, Thriller, & the Jackson 5 will remain timneless, but everything else will be forgotten.

So, MJ broke the color barrier for MTV. I hadn’t known. Still, was MTV being run by southern rednecks or something? I thought it was always something that celebrated rebellion. In other words, it was run by the 60s crowd that always pats itself on the back for being so unprejudiced. But if they were prejudiced against blacks until MJ came along, that’s hardly a point in their favor.

MTV did not show black artists until Michael Jackson’s Thriller around 1984; Tina Turner’s comeback album also came out the same year & broke big in large part to MTV showing her videos from that time forward. It was serendipity at work. They believed their mainly white audience would not want to watch black artists in videos. Michael Jackson changed MTV to include black artists on their roster. Thriller was bigger than Michael Jackson though.

I liked “Thriller.” That said, I have to laugh at the ignorance of people who think MJ was a vastly talented entertainer. A good song-and-dance man, but like someone said, not anywhere near the same league as Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Scott Joplin, Robert Johnson, BB King, Marvin Gaye – sheesh, I could go on and on and on. It’s not like there was this huge shortage of black musicial talent before MJ turned up singing “ABC.”

MJ looks rather insignificant compared to the black talent that came before him. On the other hand, it’s no wonder idiots consider him a giant. He is a giant compared to the moronic gangsta rappers – which is not a happy statement about the state of popular music today.

Before fools start telling me I must be ancient – hell, I’m younger than MJ was (although unlike him I grew up).

Before you dismiss people like Ellington and Ray Charles as irrelevant and for old people, remember – they were also huge in their day. If they no longer matter because you can’t remember them, why on earth do you think anybody will give a hoot about MJ 40 years down the road? May your children and grandchildren have exactly as much respect for MJ as you have for those who came before him. That means they will laugh at you for being an old jackass fawning over some goofy looking freak from the 20th century.

However as to greatness I try look at versitility and longevity. Frank Sinatra beats MJ in longevity and Old Blue Eyes did a few mecent movies, Suddenly, From Here to Enternity.

Johnny Cash was ugly and couldn’t carry a tune in bushel basket. Yet Cash managed to serve in the Air Force, sell applicance, act and get induced into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame. Let MJ top that.

Then my all time great talent was the King, Elvis Prestley. He managed to do few tolerable movies, but did manage to do every concievable style of song and do it well. Elvis nailed songs from I Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog, Rock of Ages and Blue Hawaii.

Then I forgot the chick from Cincinnati, Ohio, Doris Day, band singer, pop singer and major number one box office champion.

Oops, Strawman, don’t want to do that Let’s hope he’s out mowing the lawn for his mom, although I rather doubt he would do anything that smacks of productivity.

To enlarge on my earlier point, right now I’m reading a fascinating book about Manhattan in the 1920′s, called “Terrible Honesty.” In part, it showcases the tremendous black talent evident in NY in those days – Fats Waller, Armstrong, Josephine Baker, Bessie Smith as well as less well known people – an extremely handsome man named Charles Gilpin, who starred in Eugene O’Neill’s “The Emperor Jones” and John Bubbles, who played Sportin’ Life in “Porgy and Bess.” I remember Pauline Kael wrote that Bubbles was the most talented, joyous dancer she had ever seen. Completely forgotten today.

That’s why I wonder why people always think the pop stars they loved as children will always be revered. Pop is of the moment – by definition. Tastes change. MJ moonwalking isn’t going to look as cool in 2085, any more than Rudy Valentino makes hearts pound today.

He was a good singer & producer but he did nothing that was not done before ie Desi Aranz & Lucille Ball. Talent is what is but in the long run the personal life seeps in the public knowdledge. Whenever I see Wizard of OZ I remember Judy Garland’s problems, same with Marilyn Monroe, Ray Charles & Elivs. Or the other hand Ella & Nat King Cole seemed to have lived a unevental life so all I hear is their Talent. So with Michael Jackson he is alway be broken in several segaments, the cute talented kid of the Jackson 5, the very talent producer singer dancer of the Thriller era & the one of a train wreck waiting to happen. May he rest in peace.

Amen sister. I have nothing against MJ whatsoever, and appreciate his particular contribution to American Pop culture. But the media frenzy over his death and the assertions of his breaking the color barrier, or being the greatest entertainer of all time is absurd. His personal problems and eccentricity, all of which you pointed out, should disqualify him from sainthood. But as you wisely pointed out, we live in a celebrity obsessed culture, and the currency of the trade is not how great you were–but how famous. Al Sharpton. Give me a break.

So now it is confirmed NONE of his three children were biologically his and even more bizzare the first two with his then wife were not biologically hers either she was just a rented womb. Whats more NONE of the children were adopted by Plastic Michael. Now can anyone in all honesty defend this I think not unless they are blind worshipers you know like the ones that love Obambi and ar blind to what he is too.
Anyway it seems my point is made Black Plastic Jackson, who morphed himself into an ugly middle aged white woman and thereby rejected his Black American root completely, commissioned and BOUGHT these WHITE children as paedophilic playthings . They are nothing more or less than white SLAVES of a Black Mohammedan paedophile (he converted remember), shades of Mohammad the paedophile and his child bride Aisha. There is no logical or moral reason whatsoever to turn these poor SLAVE children over to their erstwhile masters family to whom they have no biological ties whatsoever. That family is also one of the formative factors that turned Plastic Jackson in to the pervert he was so common sense alone apart from justice says they should be kept well away from these poor children.

Enough with the moonwalk thing. Moonwalk was a dance move from a a dance style called Electric Boogie. Electric boogie was part of a movement called Hiphop in the early eighties. 1981-1983 I think. Hiphop was a brand new word back then. I guess you could say it was the first wave of Hiphop. Break Dancing, Electric Boogie, Graffiti and Rap. It started as a subculture from black ghettoes and ended up becoming a global phenomenon. Anybody remember “Don’t push me, cause I’m close to the edge…. It’s like a jungle sometimes. It makes me wonder why I’m keeping getting under”? or Herbie Hancock Future shock. Hiphoppers were dancing Electric Boogie to that. And Moonwalk was a part of Electric Boogie. Even in scandinavia they held Electric Boogie and Break Dancing contests where people were moonwalking all over the place.

You are missing the point. This has nothing to do with the freak’s death. His family and PR folks recognize that Jackson is far, far more valuable to them dead than he was alive. Dead, he can do nothing else to embarrass them (or himself)and all his past can be written over.
The model here is Martin L. King and his family. Every honer to King are use of his image or words has to be licensed (for a fee) from the King family. That’s where they are going we the kiddy-diddler. Every memorial, every benefit show will require a license and every con-man will get a piece of the action. The media will keep this kettle boiling.

I think it’s amusing the author is trying to belittle Michael Jackson’s contribution to pop culture, and uses Paul Robeson as a reference to a black entertainer beloved by white audiences. He was also an entertainer whose career and well-being were basically obliterated by communist paranoid conservatives.

By the way, next time you go to any corner of the globe, particular those that might be hostile to the US, I bet you might make some inroads with the natives bringing up Michael Jackson over Barbara Streisand. Streisand?!?! Vanilla must be your favorite flavor!

Michael Jackson was not the King of anything. King implies masculinity, and Jackson had none. He was just a pathetic drug addict with a publicist to promote his tiresome schtick, and an entourage of lawyers to protect him from the parents of his victims. And the same crowd that bought Obama’s tap dance, bought Jackson’s moonwalk.

Michael Jackson had a string of hits and released the biggest selling album ever; however, does that make him great or a genius? I did respect Michael as an artist, and I did like several of his songs, which are timeless, but I don’t think he warrants the accolades that the public is giving posthumously. If you want to give accolades, then give him the accolade for Thriller. Also, you can give him the accolade for serving as the catalyst that opened the doors for African Americans on MTV. Does that make him a genius? I just think the public does what it does best; it jumps on bandwagons. Also, I think that most people lack musical depth and knowledge and really don’t want to be challenged musically. People tend to settle for the status quo, generally. Michael’s music was status quo. It didn’t challenge you. If you want to place “Man in the Mirror” as reaching outside of that, then sure. I will also give you “Black or White.” Let’s thrown in “Heal the World.” But, what else do you have? I agree that Michael’s music made you dance and feel good, but he had a string of producers that did just that..they produced. Without them, I truly doubt if he would have had the hits that he did. And speaking of musical depth, I have read several blogs about Prince being less gifted than Michael. Like Michael, I like Prince, I’m not a fanatical fan of Prince nor Michael. I am a fan of music, so I did my own research. It is a fact that Prince has produced far more music in the last three years than Michael has produced in an entire decade. Michael released one album in this entire decade. One full album during the 90s and a compilation in the mid 90s. Where is the genius in that? Prince has created an album at least every year since he entered the business in 1978. There were a few times when he released two or three albums in one year. Prince creates music that challenges the mind, the spirit, and the soul; not to just jump on the latest musical fad that a lot of “artist” tend to do, Michael included. Jumping on musical fads doesn’t sound like artistry or genius to me. Prince changed his name to challenge the music industry and to force it to take a deeper look into the way the business operates and how it treats its artists. That speaks volumes to me as a music lover. I am not advocating on behalf of Prince, but when you think of the title the king of pop, which has become synonymous with Michael Jackson, I think Prince should be called the King of Music. He has created more albums than virtually any other artist in their entire careers. Madonna has even created more records than Michael in his solo career and has had just as many hits as Michael, but I definitely wouldn’t call her a genius. Janet has released more records than Michael. All respect paid to Michael Jackson for his ginormous contribution to popular music; however, just because someone sells more records doesn’t make them great or genius! It means that they had a great marketing team. If that’s the case, George Bush won the presidency twice….what does that tell you?

The point is Jackson sold more records than anyone except the Beatles with ONLY 6 adult studio albums. Five of those albums are on the all time best selling albums list. More is not the same as better.

Jackson had talent but take any talented kid, put him or her into the pressure cooker of Hitsville USA, with all those great Motown songwriters, producers, singers, and dancers, hook them up with Quincy Jones as a producer, and it’s not surprising that Michael had a couple of good albums in him.

But timeless art because people play his songs 20 years later? Please. Chuck Berry was more influential.

Compare Michael Jackson’s oeuvre with that of fellow Motown alumnus Stevie Wonder. While Stevie may not have sold as many recordings, his songs have become standards in the way that none of Jackson’s songs have become.

That Jackson’s fans consider this to be evidence of a musical legacy rather than damning with faint praise shows just how little they know about this history of popular music.

Sammy Davis Jr. has been mentioned a couple of times. Like Jackson, he was also a child star in a family of entertainers. I don’t think there’s any question that Davis had a body of work that was considerably broader than Jackson’s. Though Jackson did act in The Wiz on Broadway and on film, Davis was a much more accomplished actor, playing both dramatic and comedic roles. Michael obviously could dance, but can anyone honestly say that Sammy Davis wasn’t at least his equal? Jackson certainly couldn’t tap dance. As a singer, Davis took on a much wider range of genres than Jackson did. Can anyone imagine Jackson trying to sing jazz?

I think that Jackson’s fans, here and elsewhere, just don’t have any sense of perspective. Like Jerry Garcia, Michael Jackson wasn’t Beethoven. The music of Otis Redding and Ray Charles will last longer than that of MJ.

p.s. how can you explain that on Friday after his death, when all radios were playing his songs, friends of mine and me, who didn’t listen for at least 10 years the songs, WERE INSTANTLY REMEMBERING AND SINGING ALL THE WORDS?

Because pop hits are audio wallpaper and impossible to avoid. I can recite lyrics to songs that I hate, from artists that I actively try to avoid.

As lyricist, btw, MJ at his best didn’t approach John Lennon at his worst (Imagine).

No, but you can’t take away that Michael Jackson brought Black Entertainers into the mainstream.

MTV does not equal the mainstream and as the article’s author points out black artists were in the mainstream by the 1950s, if not earlier.

In any case, the heavily playlisted “top 40″ AM stations that I listened to in the 1960s were ethnically (and musically) diverse, with black artists well represented. Barry Gordy deliberately marketed Motown (“The sound of young America”) to a white audience, and not so much to the chitlin’ and soul circuit. The Supremes’ dream was to play the Copacabana in NYC. In the sense that Diana Ross was a role model for Michael Jackson, it’s not surprising that Jackson aspired to be more than just an R&B performer.

In any case, it’s a disservice to Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jimi Hendrix to say that Michael Jackson was the first black musician to enter the mainstream.

Otis redding? What a sh*t. And Sammy Davis Jr. could dance , of course, but did he revolution the dance he danced? NO. Davis Jr. was good only on what was already invented. M.Jackson did revolution the genre of dance he danced.

Kelly, Davis Jr. and Sinatra could dance, act and sing; so what? Mozart didn’t act, didn’t sign and didn’t dance. But Mozart excelled on what he was good and so also M.Jackson. Kelly, Davis Jr. and Sinatra were only entertainers, they didn’t do any revolution, neither in dance, singing or acting. And they were quite bad actors by the way.

And Carol Gould excelled in writting a lot of cr*p in this so called “article”. M. Jackson didn’t deny his black identity, identity can’t be denied. He was actually ill.

Unfortunately Jackson is gone, the King is dead, long life to the King!

Jacko Wacko Bites the Bullet, Re-locates to a Toasty Neverland
I know the title and content of this piece will be interpreted as mean-spirited by some people since it reflects not even a modicum of reverence for the memory of the recently-departed Michael Jackson.

The irreverence is fully intentional.

I’m aware that it’s unkind and ungracious to speak ill of the dead and for that reason I thought I’d avoid commenting on Jackson’s untimely demise. However, I’m fed up and not going to take any more of this adulation being heaped on the undeserving, yet-unburied King of Pop.

That adulation, bordering on adoration, exemplifies both the short attention span and the inclination of his many millions of fans worldwide to overlook and discount the “man’s” perversions in favor of salivating over, listening to, and watching their king do his thing even if his thing is no longer live and in person.

If he was this generation’s king of anything, Wacko Jacko was the King of Pervs, the King of Pedophiles, the King of the Disturbed and the Absurd. Kings get away with almost anything, and so did Jacko. Furthermore, if anyone was emblematic of a disintegrating Western culture, it was Michael Joseph Jackson.

The seventh of nine children of the prolific Joe and Katherine Jackson’s Gary, Indiana clan, his childhood may best be described as unusual as well as brutal. That fact may be sad but it is no defense for the evil he inflicted on children in his later years.

I will leave to Jackson’s idolators to review his amazing career and talent and to gloss over his early years but the fact his last, or semi-last, or one of his many wills never mentions dear ol’ dad is testimony to Jacko’s negative memories of Papa Joe Jackson.

Those same idolators, when pressed, will both defend his father and family and go on to use his childhood to explain his actions.

That defense works only in our court system when attorneys seek sympathetic jury nullification to find a defendant not guilty in the face of a preponderance of evidence to the contrary. Let’s face it, Jacko was a sick, twisted individual who paid big bucks to keep himself out of jail for serial acts of pedophilia.

In the case of Michael Joseph Jackson, the scam of blaming his conduct on poor parenting wouldn’t wash with any jury that could sublimate senseless worship to objective rationality. His life would dictate a guilty verdict based alone on the damage he did to any number of kids, all boy kids.

That damage will be ignored and forgotten in the ensuing weeks and years as Jackson’s relatives battle for his presumptive millions and as the starstruck media clamor for headlines to peddle their trashy reports to gullible fans.

But, naysayers might say, he was tried and found innocent of child molestation, intoxicating a minor, abduction, and conspiracy by a jury of his peers. That’s incorrect for two reasons.

You’re right he was found not guilty. A jury never delivers a verdict of innocent – the words are NOT GUILTY. He was found not guilty despite the fact that the evidence from the 1993 case was admitted in court and the judge actually added 4 misdemeanors so the jury could find him guilty of a misdemeanor instead of a felony if they didn’t want to go that far – but they found him NOT GUILTY of anything at all. You need to read the actual trial transcripts and the FBI files not some web page of rumors and allegations.

Ill take you on Berlet..Yes.Michael jackson was a freak and maybe the freakies of them all..However,he was not a pedophile.although it is easy to portrya or believe that someone so unsetttling gouilty of anything.I remeber there was a retarded boy in my schooll wha people accused of taking things when I knew the truth thief to be this popular kid I knew.There have been atleast thirty kids.(some famous) whohave attesated and corroborated Michaels jackson story on them sleeping in the be while he slept on he floor.Is it strange..?can it be percieved as potentioally perverse? yes..However, its all about intent.We are afraid of wht we dont understand!

Everybody is under presumption of innocence until proven guilty -as should be in every State under the Rule of Law. Something very different is what the mob and the media think, they are entitled to have their opinion, but their opinion is completely irrelevant for imparcial administration of the law.

The writer of this article is pulling at straws. He is saying that artists who were playing night clubs and hotels is the equal to playing and selling out a football stadium? The writer is also comparing regional popularity and in some cases national popularity to INTERNATIONAL fame.

Michael Jackson sung a song he wrote,entitled “You Were There”,in the late 80′s and dedicated it to Sammy David Jr. Michael Jackson was well aware of the people who came before him and the struggle they went through. While it is true that blacks where loved in America as entertainers there was no MEGA SUPERSTAR until Michael Jackson. White people had Elvis and black people had Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson planted the seeds of the presentation of black men as more then just ‘scary’ figures.

Michael Jackson did tear down the barrier for MTV as MTV would not play videos by black artists. Herbie Hancock’s ‘Rock It” video was played but he was not in the video and only appeared on a TV screen in the video. It was because of the videos of MJ (Beat, Billie Jean, and Thriller) that music video as a whole was taking to another level and that MTV could not ignore his music (and subsequently all black music) as they risked their entire network having some of their top videos by the top stars at the time being pulled down. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre 50 Cent, Ciara, Beyonce, Usher, and any other artist of color OWES MJ that credit as that’s what him and his videos did.

Also. MJ changed the format of videos forever, not just because of him making short films of his videos, but also the dancing in them. NO ONE DID A VIDEO FEATURING CHOREOGRAPHY before Beat It and people have elaborate choreography in their videos today because of Beat It. No one was using celebrities in their videos or had movie directors directing their videos until Michael Jackson did it in the 80′s.

Michael Jackson was a black man from the ghetto who changed the world. Over 300 million dollars of his own money was giving to charity in his lifetime. During all of his major tours he would go to hospitals giving out toys to kids and singing a song. He co wrote We Are The World with Lionel Richie and raised 50 million dollars for hunger in Africa. Nothing of that scale had been done before that.

Not Groundbreaking? He was the first to combine James Brown/Street dancing/ Fred Astire and his own stuff into dance. The Victory tour was the HIGHEST grossing tour of all time when it happened in 1984 and then Bad was the highest grossing and then Dangerous. Michael Jackson was the first grab his crotch in videos (which TONS of artists to this day now do). He was the first to use the toaster effect on stage. The moonwalk was no invented by him and had been done before by The Electric Boogaloos, Jeffrey Daniel, and even Bill Bailey, but MJ brought it to the main stream with the style and right song. White sock, Rhinestone glove, flooded pants so you can see him feet when he dances (not done before him), wind machines on stage,The Smooth Criminal lean (though not first done by Jackson).

Singer,songwriter,producer,arranger, dancer, choreographer, actor, author, businessman, financier, and inventor is what Wikipedia has him listed as and all of that is true. Anyone who doesn’t see Michel Jackson as a genuis is ignoring the facts.

nobody knows what happened michael had money and he was a nice person and people and oppurtunists around him felt they should take advantage of him by telling lies and making it turn into something big. there were jelous people also. mad because he was the only artist who ever in this whole entire world to ever sell out more albums than anyone, mad and jeleous because he is the first artist in this world to ever from the age of 5 being the best music performer and artist til his 40′s nobody has ever been a big artist from age of 5 til 40′s if the osmonds were to put out a new record now they won’t get no play.
When you have sold more records than anyone in showbusiness history then they just have the tendency to try to pull you down.
He was a very powerful, influential and rich Black Man who
pissed some Whites off. Hurt The Beetles and Elvis, they didnt like that did they now you get it.
When District Attorney Tom Sneddon smugly announced that Michael Jackson was to be criminally charged, and that Neverland was being raided, he was so blinded by greed, jealousy and vengeance that he could not see that the degenerate family he had sided with, the Arvizo family, in order to try and take Michael Jackson’s freedom from him, and ruin his reputation, all so that Sneddon could bask in glory, would actually bring Sneddon the ultimate humiliation. Sneddon’s case against Michael Jackson was built on lies, and was created by liars, and Sneddon got exactly what he deserved, failure!!!
When Michael Jackson was put on trial, accused of having molested Gavin Arvizo — who had learnt from his family how to extort people — the media refused to tell the truth. The media refused to acknowledge, or discuss, what was actually going on in the courtroom that was favorable to Michael Jackson. The testimony that pointed to Michael Jackson’s innocence, the success Michael Jackson’s attorneys had in exposing the prosecution case for what it was, sham, was ignored by the media, the media refused to tell the truth.
When prosecution witnesses who desired to fill their pockets with Michael Jackson’s money, who hoped to become rich by selling false stories, who falsely accused Michael Jackson, and who made up as many lies as possible, as horrible as possible, to extort as much money as possible from Michael Jackson, were exposed, it was ignored by the media, the media refused to tell the truth.
When the accuser, Gavin Arvizo, and his family, mother Janet Arvizo, and siblings Star Arvizo and Davellin Arvizo, stumbled over their lies, contradicted themselves continually, became argumentative when presented with facts that proved they were liars and extortionists, it was ignored by the media, the media refused to tell the truth.
When Michael Jackson’s young cousin testified that the accuser, Gavin Arvizo, and Gavin’s brother Star tried to get him to masturbate in their presence, it was ignored by the media, the media refused to tell the truth.
When it was revealed that Michael Jackson’s former employees only claimed to have seen inappropriate behavior by Michael Jackson AFTER THEY WERE OFFERED MONEY AND PAID BY TABLOIDS/THE MEDIA, it was ignored by the media, the media refused to tell the truth. (Michael Jackson successfully sued these former employees many years ago, they still owe him money.)
When Michael Jackson’s current employees testified that the accuser, Gavin Arvizo, and his family slept in guesthouses at Neverland (and not in Michael Jackson’s bedroom), that they caused a great deal of trouble at Neverland, left a huge mess at Neverland, damaged and defaced property at Neverland, attacked the animals at Neverland, pulled knives on Neverland employees, stole from Neverland employees, stole from Michael Jackson, extorted Neverland employees by lying about their financial circumstances, extorted the government by lying about their financial circumstances, extorted other celebrities by lying to them and falsely accusing them, caused trouble wherever they went, and to whoever was unlucky enough to befriend them, overall having been shown to be users, liars, thieves, troublemakers and criminals, it was ignored by the media, the media refused to tell the truth….. until now.
Aphrodite Jones, a reporter, ashamed of her behavior during Michael Jackson’s trial, having realized that she was wrong, has written this book – “Michael Jackson Conspiracy” – which is pretty much a compact version of Michael Jackson’s trial. It details exactly what happened in the courtroom at Michael Jackson’s trial (using actual trial testimony), the facts that were revealed and exposed, the witnesses and what they stated, how Michael Jackson’s defense team managed to successfully destroy prosecution theories and witnesses on a daily basis, how the media did not want to report anything that was favorable to Michael Jackson or his defense team, how some media reporters had already secured deals to have access to Michael Jackson if he was to be found guilty and imprisoned (which is disgusting, because this behavior implies that these jerks preferred that a child had been molested so that they could profit), and how Michael Jackson was found NOT GUILTY by a jury that saw right through the lies, right through the Arvizo family, right through District Attorney Tom Sneddon and his sham case, and right through the media garbage that has been circulating for years about Michael Jackson.
So, if you want the truth about Michael Jackson, how he has become a target for liars who want to become instant millionaires, and the victim of a media that promotes and prefers lies, read “Michael Jackson Conspiracy”.

Anyone who thinks Michael Jackson was not a genius or lacks talent, you’re not only making a fool out of yourselves but you establish yourselves a blatant bias with ABSOLUTELY nothing whatsoever to back up your otherwise asinine claims. You people are so blinded by bigotry that you can’t see what talent is, and when AN EXTRAORDINARY TALENT is right in front, flirting with you.

Michael Jackson was insanely talented…….INSANELY TALENTED. And no doubt the greatest entertainer and the biggest star the world has ever seen.

You white people are hilarious, particularly Jewish one’s. You have the audacity to rate the authenticity of black music and culture? PLEASE. You are so displeased by that “spook” not conforming to what you want him to be. Poor Sammy Davis was plagued by that most of his adult career. Always the “step and fetch it” negroe to whitey. We were black and proud while someone forgot to tell Sammy, lol. Still love him though. I don’t have to discuss the merits of Michael’s talent, it speaks for itself and you no his success bothers you beause secretly, you wanted him to bow down to act like you think black people are supposed to act and all himself the name white people bestow on him, please. Watch out President Obama, they are watching and listeninig. I would love to hear Louis Farrakhans synopsis of your judgement of black music.

All of those great blacks you listed loved or would’ve loved MJ — and MJ loved them! They cried when they seen what Michael was able to do. Michael was uber talented. Elvis never wrote or composed anything! Yes, he was a genius, Yes, he was groundbreaking, Yes, he brought races together like we have never seen before. You lost all credibility when you called Elvis, Judy Garland & Marilyn Monroe freakin’ ROLE MODELS! Yes, Michael was a freak. All the greats were freaks. @Thomas & Raven Matthews. Thanks so much. p.s. Michael never touched anybody’s kid!

I have come to the conclusion that any Michael Jackson hate I have come across has been fueled by the media and how they tore him apart.

Whether you love or hate the man, you can not deny the significance that he had on pop culture and on music. To call him just a ‘song and dance man’ is, highly, undermining all of his talents. Many of the people quoted in this article as being ‘way more talented’ have all praised/commended Michael Jackson at some point in his life. If these people can recognize Michael Jackson as being a talented and gifted performer why can’t you?

Michael not only wrote/composed most of his songs, but he also worked with many people to help create much of his music. He could not play as many instruments as many other artists could, but he could still translate them in a way that many of the other artists COULD understand them. Not every Tom, Dick, Harry, or you could even do that.

Please, I implore, does some research BEFORE you start bashing anyone for that matter. Reading your article proves that you still have a lot to learn about the musical achievements of Michael Jackson and just exactly what he meant to pop culture.

My heart is heavy, as I watch news footage of you gliding across the stage and gyrating your pelvis,
At this moment in time this is bigger than the Duke, man, this is bigger than Elvis!
Though you made your living with words, today there are no words to express the way the world feels,
Right now there is no need to go into your discography because it encompasses valleys and hills.
But where do I begin, should I start with your amazing solo career or should I start with the Jackson 5,
When you were just a cute little boy,
On stage you were talented and outgoing,
Yet off stage you were introspective and coy,
In the 70′s, you put the world into a trance
with your ‘fro and bell bottomed jeans as you did the robot,
Michael, you had everyone at your feet because when
you danced and sang you gave all that you got!
Nat King Cole was a merry ole soul as he sat perched up against mama’s old wooden phonograph next to Billie Holliday,
Roberta Flack and the Jackson’s Destiny album,
Lord, have mercy you all grew up to be mature, sexy and handsome!
Ooh, wee, or should I say ‘hee hee hee’ about thatpulsating falsetto,
That reached every country, mansion, island, barrio, prison, hut, village, igloo, trailer park, suburb and ghetto!
I am old school and I remember coming home from school putting on your albums,
These were the days before CD’s, Limewire, MP3 players and IPODS,
Goodness gracious, listening to your music was heaven
sent directly from God.
You were a great admirer of the legendary James Brown,
It warmed my heart to see you at an award show holding his crown.
You ruled the 80′s with a glittering iron glove,
Moon walking into the hearts of millions
Moving as gracefully and as freely as a dove.
Newborns coming into the world already know your name,
Ailing grandparents in their last days know the same.
You are Gary’s finest but the world dubbed you the ‘Gloved One’
Michael, your legacy is HIStory, DESTINY, OFF THE WALL, VICTORY, TRIUMPH, INVINCIBLE,
BAD and most definitely a THRILLER.
You are the King of Pop the ‘Man In The Mirror’!
You ‘rocked our world’ for over 40 years.
You gave us such memorable songs as Who’s Lovin You, Gotta Be There, Heart Break Hotel, Butterflies, PYT, Billie Jean,
Earth Song, Can You Feel It, Working Day And Night, The Girl
Is Mine, Say, Say, Say, and We ‘Remember The Time’ you told us that ‘We Are The World’ and to ‘Ease on Down The Road.’
You sold out football field stadiums and integrated MTV music videos.
Back in the day we wore your buttons and donned white socks and penny loafers,
Now here we stand today in shock and sadness but we know your pain is over.
Michael, we miss you and though you said ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘You Are Not
Alone’, and “Human Nature” is the reason ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.’
You were a great humanitarian a sensitive human being,
Who came to earth and completed your journey now you can have eternal rest,
The world loves you ‘Gloved One’ but the Lord truly knows best.
We ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ to you ‘Lovely One.’
WE LOVE YOU, MJ.

Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer of all times. In the US his music was consumed and shelved for a while, but people ALL OVER THE WORLD loved Michael Jackson. I doubt Ms Streisand can fill stadiums in Russia, Romania, Hungary, India, South Africa, South Korea, and Japan (just to name a few) the way Michael Jackson did. The whole world loved Michael Jackson in ways that I’m afraid Ms. Streisand can’t reach. He was the first black entertainers to ever achieve such global fame and glory. Your comments show a very small sighted brand of provincialism that’s laughable and pathetic and your argument doesn’t hold water. Who cares about your grand old memories anyway!

I can’t believe someone got away with saying Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are overrated. Louis Armstrong almost single-handedly revolutionized american music (His 1920′s recordings not really his other recordings like Hello Dolly… those weren’t bad though either). If it weren’t for him we’d be listening to crooners singing “Oh my darling, oh I love you, My Darling!” and marching band music. Duke Ellington is simply one of America’s greatest composers.

No one can judge any artist, unless they are an artist themselves. For all those who say Michael Jackson wasn’t great, what contribution have they made to the musical world? Probably nothing!!! I am from India. A country that has one billion people and very heavily influenced by bollywood, the biggest entertainment industry in the world!! Michael Jackson was the first western artist that I ever knew of. Had never heard Of Elvis, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Barbara streisand or whatever her name is, samy daveis Jnr, still don’t know what he was famous for, fred astaire, only know him because of Michael Jackson (Fred Astaire said He was happy to know he had met his predecessor (michael jackson) before he died. Michael Jackson was the biggest superstar to have have ever lived on this planet. From a tiny african village to the biggest cities in the world, the whole world knew him. Just look at the reaction to his death. No other artis in my lifetime has ever had such mass hysteria. Michael Jackson was the greatest!!.

This article was a joke, right? Like one of those efforts to get a rise out of people to see how they react. You can’t really be serious.

I will actually agree with the idea that MJ didn’t, one his own, break down all racial barriers. Barrier breaking (just made that up) is an ongoing, collective effort and has required a collective effort fro hundreds of years by, to name a few, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Sammy Davis, Jr (whom you mention), etc. But MJ certainly played a role.

I’ll also even agree that MJ’s genius resides primarily in one discipline: music. However, I hope you’ll recognize that he excelled most of the sub-areas surrounding music: live performance, dance, composition, arrangement, musicianship (he payed several instruments) production, vocals, and so on.

I’ll give you that he didn’t break out as, say, an actor, or a virtuoso on a particular instrument or recognition as the greatest dancer of all time, or the greatest singer. But it was how he put together what he could do well that made him great.

I think what concerns me is the lack of respect for the impact of modern entertainers. I look at the list of names you mentioned and while they were/are certainly all talented, they reflect a particular window of taste. So for example, when you site Yentl as a great work that is meant to reflect Streisand’s talent, I started to laugh. Is she a great singer, perhaps among the top voice in the age of recorded music? Sure. Did Yentl suck and did she suck in it? Definitely. Is that just my opinion? Yes. And that’s my point. As a 36-year old biracial male, my individual perspective is that Michael Jackson changed the entertainment landscape. Many of the names you mentioned above would actually agree and would not hesitate to call him a genius: Davis, Jr., Streisand, Ross, Bennett, Merman, and the list goes on.

We shouldn’t let generational gaps or a “back in my day” mentality take away from what MJ contributed and accomplished. If you’ll do that, I’ll do more to educate myself and get better perspective on those performers that your cited that I’m not that familiar with. This is all about understanding each other.

We need to think of Michael Jackson as a human, not as an animal. He has made a hugh contribution to music. I see many Musicians today covering, sampling, copying,representing, his dance and music today. I still hear ABC, Billie Jean, Thriller, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal being played on the radio. and why is everyone saying 20 years when he has been performing for almost 45 years, since he was 5 years old, his father had him doing shows. Many people see him grasp his crotch and look away and not hear what the song is talking about. MJ has said many times why he created never-land ranch, how he fells about children, why his skin is white, why he changed his face, manly his nose. Stop making stuff up about him and go find interviews, friends, people who KNEW him, what actually went on in court, why did he pay chandler. as far as his surgery go, (ITS NOT ANY OF OUR BUSINESS). Why would a man change his sin color to were he can not go in the sun and knows that everyone will ask questions and how he spent years trying to tell everyone whats wrong with his skin. In 1993 during his investigation, the doctors PROVED he had a skin disorder. Lupus and Vitilligo. and has several black marks on his body. ans sorry I usually stand in the middle because I was not in the room when Michael and the chandler boy was or wasn’t molested. same with Gavin. I do no that the father seem to be mostly lying. and the second case, the mother was OBVIOUSLY lying. the brother couldn’t keep his story straight, she had the same lawyers from the first case and she only wanted money just like the dad in the fist case. I believed he was really Naive like a child and needed psychiatry. He trusted the wrong people. but he did agged them on with the tabloids which he regretted because they would then make up there own story’s. I honestly dont believe he did anything sexual with those kids. He only payed money because it was cutting in his tour at the time plus whats 20 million to a billionaire. Out of all those kids that stayed at his home, only 2 said something happen. People need to do research and not listen to what they hear and think about it logically. Michael was not an idiot, just made some bad decisions.

I agree with the last two posts, and add that Michael Jackson admired and acknowledged the influences of all the artists you name – Judy Garland, Sammy Davis, Jr. et al. In fact, one of the best, most moving performances of MJ’s was of a tribute song he wrote and performed for Sammy Davis. You can find it on YouTube. Also, there is much credible evidence that MJ was innocent – I’m not saying that we know he was, but there is at least a 50% chance that he was. And think: If we ever get confirmation that he was innocent, that means this man’s career and reputation were damaged maliciously, for no good reason.

I thought the same thing that was written in this column right after he died and then I started watching his videos and actually listening to his music. The song “Billie Jean” is sheer genius. His vocal abilities are WAY ABOVE AVERAGE. I am not a musician but after watching many of his videos and actually comparing his voice to other artists, Elvis and Paul McCartney included, I would have to say that MJ’s vocal abilities were at least as good if not better than either of them. Listen to his “Off The Wall” and “Thriller” albums. They are both amazing. Listen to two of his ballads, “She’s Out of My Life”, “Lady in my Life” the emotion he conveys in just these two songs is unbelievable. Also as a child singer I have searched the internet/youtube and no one else even comes close to him as a child singer. He sang “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Who’s Loving You” as a child with more emotion than the original versions imo.

He was also a damn good dancer. When he did the “Thriller” video he was working with professional dancers who had gone to school to learn their dancing. MJ never took a dance class. Do some research.

I won’t comment on his personal problems most of which were caused by child abuse from his father and the recording industry imo. As a kid he recorded 470 songs for Motown in less than 5 years. He was signed with Motown from age 10 or 11. As far as breaking down racial barriers as a woman in my late 40′s who happens to be white I can say that he most certainly did break down racial barriers for my generation. I can’t think of any other black teen idols I had a crush on as a teenager. Also, since his death a whole new generation of kids have discovered his music and are now fans. When Elvis died I was 17, I did not become a fan of Elvis when he died.

Michael jackson was the greatest. He was no child molester , he was a child!! I laugh reading these negative comments about him. Think People!!! Use your intellect!!. Can you name any other child star in the world that went on to become as huge as MJ? Not Elvis, not Lennon, not Macauley Culkin, not Linsay Lohan, not Hillary Duff. Anyone else you can think of? I challenge you haters!! Think of anyone else who has been a child star, who became as big as Michael Jackson!! I bet you can’t think of anyone. He was most certainly affected by his fame but I don’t blame him. How would we know, what it is like to be famous by the age of 6. He famously stated how he never went to a baseball match, how he never got to play in the park, etc. I wouldn’t have so much sympathy for him if he wasn’t a child star, but I have a six year old and if he was as famous as MJ at this age, and went on to be as famous as Michael Jackson was, I don’t think he would grow up to be normal either. So unless you have been world famous since you were 6, SHUT UP!!!

I agree with you “reasonable”. I think some Americans just does not know how big Michael was/is internationally. In every little corner of the world people know who Michael Jackson is. He broke racial barriers, his fans are of all races, colours and religions (just look at the youtube videos of his fans doing the flashmob tributes). Another of his genius is that his environmental songs are so powerful and his delivery of these songs influence his fans to do charity, stop the wars, save the planet and heal the world. And there are millions of his fans all over the world who are continuing this legacy. Does any of the performers that the author has mentioned able to influence in such a force to invoke environmental/social conciousness? Listen to these songs, doesn’t they want to make you stand up and make a change? “Man in the mirror”, “Heal the world”, “We’ve had enough”, “Earth Song”, “We are the world”, “What more can i give”, “Black or White”.
Here in China we have 1Billion people as well, to us Michael Jackson will always remains the greatest entertainer. He is the only American we love.

I don’t think you know what you are talking about. Dick Clark from American Bandstand said, “I have worked with 1000′s of artist, no one compares to Michael Jackson.” Paul Anca, who co wrote the single This Is It, said he had worked with Elvis and Frank Sinatra but Michael Jackson had something special. Check it out, he was on The View. I take it you are not an actual musician because I have never heard of you. Please let me know when you topped the charts and what credentials you have that gives you the right to judge the late, great Michael Jackson.

I think you are speaking from a western point of view. I would like you to research the impact of Michael Jackson in the non western world. I am interested to know your findings. Look forward to reading more of your pieces on Michael Jackson. Cheers.

To the detractor.
if any of these people would ever think, nothing but a minute , or just read themself before posting such comment it would make them realise how MJ’s behaviour is nothing compared to what their are doing of their time at least he has done “smth” with his. instead of wasting yours to hate start to love… it take the same amount of time trust me it has been proven.
Anyway do u guys know what death mean? it means the last chapter of ones life so no one can’t change the story at that time the chapter is closed you can’t do nothing but read againg and again the book and try to interpret the meaning of it. have fun peace

I came across this site looking for something else, but after reading some of these comments I just have to reply. Do some of you realize how stupid you sound? We are talking about an artist who has sold more records than anyone other than the Beatles, and he may overtake them if the unreleased music is good. And he did this with only 6 adult studio albums – 5 of them are on the all time top sixty best selling album list. How many records have you sold that makes you such an expert? How many concert tickets? The music of course is only part of Jackson’s talent it does not even consider the dance part of a concert by him. After a decade off the stage he sold 750,000 tickets in 4 hours and there were 600,000 on line still trying to buy – in one city. Ticketmaster themselves said they had never seen anything to match it. Point is – no matter your opinion about his musical talent it is just that, only your opinion. Professionals in the industry have called him the greatest entertainer of all time – not the media. The public has voted him that with their pocketbooks.

His influence is evident in the young performers, Usher, Timberlake, Beyonce, Rihanna, Bieber, Lady Gaga to name a few. He won’t be forgotten – you will.

He absolutely broke racial barriers. Before Jackson white people admired, respected and loved black performers, but Jackson they worshiped and idolized. They imitated him; they fainted when they saw him, and this was all over the world, including the USA. He was the world’s first, and maybe only, black superstar. He redefined superstar; he was a megastar (some white people are still in denial about this, but it’s true). And he was black when he became this big; it was before the vitiligo covered his whole body.

The only people who still believe he was a pedophile are people who simply want to believe it. In 17 years of relentless investigation, prosecution, persecution and harassment by the FBI, LAPD, Santa Barbara DA and the media not one shred of proof has been found that he committed any kind of crime, so bring us some proof or go pound sand. There is information all over the internet; anyone can find the truth. Then there is the fact that he has been dead over a year and not one other “victim” has come forward. The DA who had such a hard-on to convict Jackson always said there were dozens of boys but they were afraid to testify. Well, where are they now? They are adults now and he’s dead. Surely if there were any truth to the stories at least one would have come forward. The stories just don’t make any sense. Read the trial transcripts online; read the FBI files online.

Finally there is his philanthropy, which this article of course makes light of. You can check this out on Snopes.com. There was an article in a column in the LA Times called “Passing Fancy” that is analyzed on Snopes.com. They mention that he was a “formidable philanthropist” and a trend setter in the entertainment industry as long as he was able. I’m sure you can find information about his philanthropy on other sites too.

The Person who wrote this should really think…. show me ur singing and dancing abilities!! I understand that this is ur personal opinion on the GREATEST ENTERTAINER, and I do agree that there was many great idols before him, but Michael Joseph Jackson was an outstanding singer and dancer! I would love to see you sell a stunning 750 milion records worldwide!!! If you search up the greatest artists of ALL TIME, Michael Jackson will be there!!!! The record Thriller is the WORL’s BEST SELLING RECORD/ALBUM of all time! His great singing and dance talent was discovered at the young age of 5!!!!! The album “Off The Wall” was a success, “Thriller” was a success, “Bad” was a success, “Dangerous” was a success, HIStory was a success, ” Blood On The Dance Floor” was a success, ” Invincible” was a success!!! And even after death, ” This Is It” was a success, and ” Michael” was a success!!!! He was the first African- American to have his video on MTV, which was ” Billie Jean”. He one a stunning amount of GRAMMYS, AWARDS, and etc… He help many countries that were in poverty. He even created ” Neverland Ranch” for kids to play and have fun at, and he NEVER laid a hand on ANY child!! The Dumb kid even described Michael’s genitals and the police EMBRASSED poor Michael at his home and took pictures of michael’s genitals and guess what?!!!!?? It didn’t even match! Michael was a sweet man. He was loving, caring, talented, and loved by BILLIONS of people. His death was #1 on the show the Most Shocking Moments… You may not care about his death, but Billions of other people did. Like Michael said several times, ” Try HARD to LOVE me, before you judge me”. Try listening to his words ( lyrics) in his songs, learn about his harsh childhood- His father neglected him! Michael never said from his own mouth , ” I’m the Greatest Entertainer”, we the people who enjoy his talent stated that because we felt that it was the truth. And so what if he grabbed his crotch and said ” he he”, that was his style, just like Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and etc… I just really want to know WHY you spent your time writing this cruel article about Michael Jackson. My excuse for even replying to it is because I LOVE Michael Jackson and I feel like Justice should be served. Michael was and will ALWAYS be THE GREATEST ENTERTAINER OF ALL TIME and The KING OF POP!!!!!!

wow True MJ Fan, i think you’re wrong on some points. you must be a teenager who was too young to experience MJ’s irrelevancy and downfall in the 1990s. HIStory (somewhat of a compilation album), Blood on the Dance Floor (only a remix album) and Invincible were all sales flops that failed to make MJ hugely popular again. they did not sell as many copies as you like to believe. his posthumous releases, This Is It and Michael, were also flops. none of the singles from Michael even made it to pop radio stations. ask anyone to name a single, or even a song, from it, and they can’t. people will even have trouble naming songs from HIStory, way back from ’95, and onward. think about it, Dangerous was his last great album and the last time people thought of him as “cool” in the music world, and it came out way back in 1991. he only released two crappy albums after Dangerous (not counting that remix album) while he was alive. he could be called one of the greatest entertainers of all time, but not one of the greatest artists or musical geniuses of all time. he only put out like 6 or 7 albums in 30 years. how is that genius? also, MJ WAS NOT the first black artist to get played on MTV. Prince, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, the Pointer Sisters, Eddy Grant, and Musical Youth were all played on MTV before him. MJ was just the first black artist to become HUGE from his MTV success and have several videos of his get played over and over again.

i also never understood why he was still called the “King of Pop” in the 2000s when he only had two pop hits (You are not Alone and You Rock my World) during the last 14 years of his life. once again, today’s MJ-obsessed youth don’t know how irrelevant he was from about the mid-90s and onward, and how he hardly performed, toured, or put out albums from that point on. MJ’s only real reign as a King of Pop was from the early 80s up until the late 80s or early 90s.

Great thing about the internet- any idiot can start a blog or leave comments on a blog.

Michael Jackson = genius. Sorry, no other way around it. It just is what it is. This man was a genius talent at the age of 10 when he was cranking out #1 hit singles at Motown.

The 3 albums he made with Quincy Jones were absolute classics. Dangerous was a very good album. History kind of sucked- but Stranger In Moscow- my god that is a beautiful song- probably the best Jackson ever recorded. Invincible kind of sucked as well- but again- Butterflies and Break of Dawn- incredible tracks.

The hate is strong in here.

I always looked at Michael Jackson like this- you must separate the art from the artist.

People are going to say what they want and think what they want about Jackson- but if you really try and stay objective and try to strip away all of the “other stuff” you are left with a simple truth- the man was a talent of monumental proportions. His talent was genius. He was truly touched by the divine.

Everybody that has hit the popular music scene after him has just been a cheap imitation. Usher, Justin Timerblake, Bieber, Ginuwine, Sisqo, Bobby Brown, Chris Brown, and on and on and on.

Michael Jackson was a genius. It did not matter what color he was, his music and dance (performance) was often a tribute to such great artists as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, etc. His art transcended language and cultural barriers and was good–even beyond its time. Whoever brings up the subject of race when speaking of Michael Jackson in order to justify not caring that he is dead is a racist. His talent and art were excellent and spoke for themselves. He was human and fragile like the rest of us,and accomplished a tremendous lot during his lifetime.

i kind of agree with the commenter who compared MJ with Prince, and mentioned that Prince had pretty much put out one album per year ever since his debut in 1978. if MJ was such a musical genius, how come he only released six adult solo albums? and only one of which (Thriller) stands the test of time and is remembered by the general public. he only put out two albums in the 80s, two in the 90s and one in the 2000s. plus, everything that MJ put out after 2001 were just greatest hits compilation albums with his same old hits that everyone has heard millions of times, while Prince was still putting out one album per year with new music in that time frame. MJ could sing and dance, but he wasn’t the most consistent artist. for an artist to be a genius in my book, they have to have plenty of musical ideas. it appears that MJ didn’t have enough musical ideas to put out several albums, and after hearing everything after “Dangerous,” it sounded like he had given up on trying to be creative. History and Invincible were both pretty embarrassing. Prince, on the other hand, just keeps cranking out album after album with brand new material and continues to tour and perform live. and who is the genius?